Letters From The People

Mr. Editor:- I am one of tlie uufortunate ones building a house. I let the Job on a contract and the contractor and myselfliave decidcdly different opinions as to wlio owns the odds and ends tliat are cut off from the boards atui timbers in putting up the house. Editors ometimea solve perplexing questions, perhapt yon may be ablo to teil us through the columns of tbe Colrieu to hom "the leaTtagB" belong, to niyself or the man wlio puts up the house? Yours etc, Esquirro. [When ye scribe first looked over the above lie feit considerably puzzled, hut after thinking over the matter it is is clear as mud. The contractor, siinply agieed to turn over to you a house, didn't he? If so, he of course owns all ïvianants tliat tn:iy be left over. Tlion ajjain you most certainly pay for every inch of material that goes to wasteHow? In tlilsway: When you went to the contractor he took your plans and ftgured minutely (we must suppose) the amount of luniber necessary tobuildyour house. By taking the dimensions of your walls he figured on just so many feet of tx.4,% so many 2xO's, so many 2xl0'9, so many M feet of sheeting, so many M feet of roof boards, and flooring, and shingles, etc., and he didn't cut off any ends n lus figures either, but he added go much per cent, to thein at full lengtli. Then heestimated liis day's work- and that is just the point a contractor often gets fooled on -be never does on hs lamber, for lie can íiíiure that to a penn3 So we 8houll say that you pay for the kindllng wood but the contractor takes it. But if he doesn't get the gturt of you on anything but tho JdiulliDg wood you muy feel happy nnd have no just cause to qoarre] with jüm ]